“Russian Food”
Foods of the former USSR that are specifically not Central Asian (so include Ukrainian, Russian, etc.) and variations on those
Tomatoes: Pickled
Ahh… Pickled tomatoes… There’s nothing else like them. When I think about them, I always remember winter-time family dinners, snow outside, grandpa grabbing a ladder and going into the cellar to get a bowl of pickled tomatoes. You see, when I was little, my grandparents had a cellar, a place little girls were not allowed to go to, which of course, worked to capture the imagination nurtured on rich Russian fairy tales even more. But the treasure in that cellar was a barrel of pickled tomatoes. Of course, there was also a barrel of pickles. At the rate I ate them, there were probably several dozen barrels of each. Of course, you can’t...
Read More“Traditional” Cherry Preserves
After following recipes for jam and preserves from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, I wanted to try some traditional recipes. You know, the ones without pectin or boiling jars, the way our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did things. So, I called the one person who would know such things – my grandma. Her recipe is very simple; just equal parts of berries to sugar, so 4 cups of cherries should get 4 cups of sugar. No “processing” jars once they’re filled, no pectin. But so much sugar is just too much for my liking and being the rebel that I am (ok, stop laughing), I used only about 2 cups of sugar. But because I’m using...
Read MoreCherry Compote – ???????? ??????
For some reason, compote has stuck in my mind as something I liked when I was a child. I have very vague memories of it being made at home, and I remember drinking it, but no longer remember how it tasted, other than pleasant. Well, yesterday, I was treated to some. The compote was so incredibly good! Very refreshing on a hot day. And amazingly simple to make (even simpler if someone makes it for you ). Another great thing about this is it’s made with cherries that you wouldn’t put in your jam because they look a little past their prime or the have some spots or other imperfections. As long as they don’t have mold or otherwise spoiled,...
Read MoreCanning
This month has been rather busy. Summer is finally here and I’m trying to take advantage of it as much as possible, which means trips to the botanic gardens, farmers markets, farms, putzing around with my own balcony garden, and of course, continuing to discover Wisconsin. So the blog has taken a back seat to those activities. To add to all this, this year I decided I should learn how to make various jams and how to can them. I was just too tired of throwing away fruits and veggies that I couldn’t consume fast enough and since it’s just me, so there was a lot of it that I couldn’t consume and lots was thrown out. My hope is to change that...
Read MoreEggplant Spread
I absolutely love eggplant and the grocery store had really pretty ones the other day. Yes, I like my food to be good-looking. Don’t you? So these gorgeous eggplant were just calling to me and I ended up taking one of them home. I keep wanting to make Sofya’s eggplant spread but somehow I just never get to frying it. This time was no different. I had peppers roasting in the oven, so I just added the eggplant to the roasting peppers. Once the eggplant cooled enough to handle, I removed the seeds and chopped it really finely, till it was almost a paste. Add garlic and tomato, and you’re set. Ingredients: 1 large eggplant, roasted 2 large...
Read MoreFather’s Day
I love that there is such a holiday as Father’s Day. I think the good men in our lives don’t get enough recognition and a day dedicated just for them is a great way to reflect on all the good things they do and to tell them how much we love and treasure them. Today, we celebrate the fathers in our lives, and I’m celebrating mine. And so, for this special occasion, we’re getting together at my place for some feasting. (Is it selfish to relish the idea of cooking for people who enjoy your food, especially if you’ve been away from your kitchen for a while?) Nibbles/Appetizers/Salads: Egg Salad — This time, I added one...
Read MoreYogurts (Dairy Odyssey: Part 2)
I have been on a dairy kick since the cheese-making class I took a few weeks ago. After having made butter, I was all jazzed to make other things from the class and started on the yogurts a few days ago. Since I had such a hard time with yogurt previously, I asked Linda about some ways I can try to improve and wanted to try out her suggestions. So, one of the yogurts I made is based on her recipe and the other is an attempt to improve upon my experimentation from last fall. The yogurt Linda talked about is based on the Piima culture she gave out in class. I’m always looking for “Greek style” yogurt, the kind that’s really, really thick and...
Read MoreHolodetz (aspic)
This is a much-loved dish in the family, and it’s ubiquitous at Russian celebrations. It’s hardly a party without one. Holodetz is called holodetz (studen’ or cholodetz or p’tcha) because it’s served cold, as in frozen, and the root of all those Russian words is “cold”. In my attempt to learn how to cook dishes I grew up with, I thought it was about time I learned to make this one, and I gave it a go for our New Year’s celebration this year. (Yes, it’s been a while, but I still have a bit of a backlog of posts and this is one of them.) I always thought that making holodetz is difficult or complicated or time...
Read MoreHappy New Year!
Happy New Year! It has been a wonderful 2010. I met local bloggers, tried new restaurants, tried new recipes, traveled to various parts of the state and hope to continue that trend in 2011. And since New Year’s is pretty much the biggest holiday for people in (and from) Russia (and former republics of USSR), I spent much time preparing for the small feast. I say “small” because it was; just the family members who were in town and that’s not a lot of us. But we had a blast hanging out, laughing, and watching Russian TV. If you follow blogs written by those living in the former USSR or those who are from there, you’ll notice that salad...
Read MoreEgg “Salad”
I call this egg “salad” because I don’t know what else to call it, and calling it egg “spread” just doesn’t sound appetizing, even though it’s great spread on bread as a snack or an appetizer. But this recipe is just so simple and the results are disproportionately delicious. The most time-consuming part of this recipe is boiling eggs. Really. Just try it and you’ll see what I mean. Use your favorite sharper cheese, but any cheese would probably work. Ingredients: 6 eggs 1-1.5 TB of mayo 3 cloves of garlic (finely minced, less if you’re not a garlic enthusiast) 1/3 cup of grated cheese (any sharper cheese...
Read MoreBeef Stroganoff
After making the Mushroom Stroganoff I wanted to make the real thing. Especially considering that I haven’t had beef stroganoff in at least ten years. Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either when I started thinking about it. I actually don’t remember the last time I had it. And after I made the mushroom stroganoff, I started searching for recipes. But as you know, I have a hard time following a recipe. So, I decided to combine a few and the ones I liked were the Paula Dean version and a Cooking Light version. Here is what I came up with: Ingredients: 1 lb of beef (I used the already-cut-up beef that you can find at your local grocery store) 3 TB of...
Read MoreChicken Soup
I’ve never made chicken soup before. Mainly because I don’t really like it. It’s an odd confession as an opening for a chicken soup recipe. But…. The soup I made wasn’t like the chicken soup I grew up with. What never appealed to me was the rich, clear broth that had little pools of chicken fat floating on top, the kind you eat when you’re sick. So I figured that instead of throwing a whole chicken into the pot with a carrot and an onion, I’d do something differently. I used a chicken breast, a chicken leg, and a bone in, skin on chicken thigh. As usual, I tried to remove as much fat as possible. I also added a lot more to...
Read MoreElla’s Borsch
Finally! A recipe! My family has been blessed with phenomenal cooks. My grandma and her sister make absolutely different but fabulously sumptuous borscht. That’s right, borscht. The funny thing is, as ubiquitous as borscht is and as fundamental to “Russian” cuisine, I’ve never made it before today. Usually, this is how the conversation about borscht goes: Me: Grandma, how do I make borscht? Grandma: When would you like it? I’ll make some for you. Me: No, thanks Grandma, I’d like to learn how to make it. Grandma: Well, you’ll need beets and other things. Me: Ok, I’ll call you this evening for a complete...
Read MorePickles
I’ve been meaning to write about pickles for quite some time now but have been completely swamped with a few other projects. But these are a staple in my kitchen in the summer and I’d recommend you try these. This is the easiest recipe for pickles. I also recently found out that people can be allergic to commercially produced pickles and those advised to steer clear of vinegar also can’t consume store-bought pickles. My version is vinegar-free. That’s right. No vinegar. The pickles are still crunchy and spicy. In the picture, you see about 2 pounds of pickles in a 1-liter jar. Ingredients: 2 LB pickles 1 Liter of water 1 TB...
Read MoreMarinated/Pickled Mushrooms
I absolutely love pickled things; I think I can live on pickles alone. So I am always looking for good and easy recipes for pickling things. This time, I wanted to experiment with pickling mushrooms. I wanted a recipe that was very easy and very quick and with a very short list of ingredients and steps. So here is what I came up with: Ingredients: 2 6.5 OZ package of mushrooms (I used button mushrooms) 1 jar of Zesty Italian Dressing Steps: 1. Wash the mushrooms (they don’t absorb water and don’t get soggy, don’t worry). 2. Place the mushrooms into a pot full of cold water and bring to a boil. 3. Let boil for a few minutes and drain. 4. Place...
Read MoreOn Tea
I have to confess, tea is my favorite beverage. I am very particular about it, maybe even snobbish, but when you grow up with good tea it’s easy to be spoiled by the high quality Indian tea. Specifically, the water has to be perfect and I’m lucky that my plain tap water is great tasting (but I still filter it). If you’re serious about tea, you know not to buy tea packets. The general tea packet (Lipton and other such brands) are really just tea dust and to me, they taste like the paper they’re wrapped in. Yuck. Why yes, I’m a bit of a tea snob. Not enough to actually know a lot, but I do know what I like. When I was in San...
Read MoreStuffed Peppers
This is one my favorite dishes. I made it a few times so I’m still perfecting my recipe. The traditional method uses rice (which is what I use), but others use moistened bread instead of rice. Both are delicious, but I wanted to start with a “classic” method before I tried to experiment too much. This recipe looks long and/or complicated, and it’s really not. It’s so completely worth the effort though. And once you do it once, you’ll see that it’s not as bad as it seems. Just a little prep work. This dish is a 2-part dish, one is the actual stuffed peppers, and the other is the sauce you cook them in. I make the sauce almost...
